Page 219 of The Fire We Make

“I’ll see you at home, Jane,” Von said.

Joy released a breath once the door closed behind them, left with only Ace, Glock and the littered bodies.

For the first time in her life, there was nothing left to prove. Nothing left to fight. Nothing left to survive.

Only what she chose next.

For the first time in her life, she was free.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Ace cupped Joy's cheeks in his hands, searching her face for signs of distress.

“You okay?” he asked.

Joy smiled, her head of curls bouncing as she nodded. “I am, actually,” she said definitively. “I’m more than okay,”

Ace smiled then dropped a kiss on her lips. “Good.”

“Clean up is on the way,” Glock said once they’d pulled apart.

Joy smiled. “Thanks.”

He inclined his head. “I’m proud of you Princess,” he said, holding his hand out. Joy took it, returning the dap.

She was proud of herself too.

Men filed in, clearing the room of the bodies with practiced ease and efficiency. Joy watched for a moment before Glock’s voice pulled her back.

“So what now?” he asked. “The board will be here any minute.”

Joy looked over at Ace. “Can you give us a moment?”

Ace looked between Joy and Glock for a moment before nodding and stepping outside. The clean up crew filed in, removing bodies and wiping up blood as Joy faced Glock again.

She took a deep breath, looking around the office that had served as more of a classroom.

She trailed her hand against the wood of the conference table she’d sat at, then the chair that had once been her father’s and she knew would one day be hers.

She lowered into it slowly. When her back hit the leather, she waited for that feeling of wholeness she thought she’d feel.

It never came.

The seat was uncomfortable as hell. The leather pressed stiffly against her back, the table was too large, the room too cold.

She had won, but the victory no longer meant what it used to.

“I’m going back to New York,” she said softly.

“I know,” Glock answered in the same tone. “From the moment you got here I could tell your heart didn’t belong here anymore.”

Joy sighed. She’d known it too. She should’ve gotten her ass right back on the plane. She shouldn’t have boarded it to begin with.

“I need someone here I can trust.”

“Are you asking me, or telling me?”

Joy gave him a sidelong glance. “I’m telling you that it’s yours if you want it.”